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Tauren
Tauren, or Shu'Halo in their native tongue Taurahe, are huge nomadic creatures who live on the grassy, open plains of Mulgore in central Kalimdor. Tauren are large, muscular humanoids and bovine in appearance, complete with hooves and horns. They stand anywhere from six and a half to nine feet tall, and weighing anywhere from 400 to 700 pounds. Their immense bodies are covered with fine, short fur that ranges in color from black to gray to white to red to brown to tan and any mottled combinations or variations thereof. After generations of nomadic existence the tauren have recently made permanent settlements in Mulgore and The Barrens. Introduction and History Tauren have a long and complex oral tradition that has been handed down for generations. Since almost no written record exists of tauren history, the accuracy of their tales is ambiguous. Regardless, many of their stories provide the only known account for several events in history, and so these stories must be regarded as having at least some believability. The tauren race is as old as, if not older than, the night elves and much like the elves, they have a strong attunement to nature and the elemental spirits. Thus, their society is largely based on shamanism. They live to serve nature and maintain the ever delicate balance between the wild things of the land and the restless spirits of the elements. In addition, elements of druidism, which had been taught by Cenarius and then forgotten over millennia, have been recently reincorporated into tauren society, further highlighting their service to nature. In particular the presence of accounts regarding Cenarius before he was known to the elves (the "war of the ancients" trilogy refers to the night elves believing Cenarius to be a bedtime story before allying with him during the war) that are confirmed by others sources as being accurate, indicate that taurens were already a civilized presence in Kalimdor before the rise and even maybe existence of elves. In particular the birth of Cenarius is covered and their version confirmed by night elven mythos, as well as in the book "The Sundering" by Richard A Knaak. War of the Ancients In the original timeline, the tauren did not take part in the War of the Ancients, the battle against the first demonic invasion approximately 10.000 years ago. However, in the altered history created by the intervention of Krasus and his companions, they were convinced to join the alliance against the Burning Legion by the dragon-mage. The xenophobic night elf commander, Desdel Stareye, refused to use the tauren to their abilities, namely heavy melee fighters, on the grounds that they were apparently as likely to kill night elves and earthen as demons. After the "tragic" loss of the commander, the tauren were re-deployed to extreme effectiveness by his replacement, Jarod Shadowsong. The tauren who survived the war maintained fairly good, or at least cordial, relations with the Sentinels. The New Horde For countless generations after the war, the tauren roamed the plains of The Barrens hunting the mighty kodo, and sought the wisdom of their eternal goddess, the Earthmother. Their tent cities were scattered across the landscape and changed with the seasons and the weather. The wandering tribes were united only by a common hatred for their sworn enemy, the marauding centaur. At the brink of extinction, the chieftain Cairne Bloodhoof, desperate for help, turned to the strange green-skinned warriors from over the sea. Cairne quickly befriended the Warchief Thrall and the other orcs, and recognized that they shared a love for honor and battle. For their part, the orcs and the Darkspear trolls that composed the Horde found much in common with the tauren. Each of these races wanted to achieve a more shamanistic culture, and the tauren, long versed in the lore of spirit and nature, were well-prepared to provide counsel and support to the budding shamanism within the Horde. With the orcs' help, Cairne and his Bloodhoof tribe were able to drive back the centaur and claim the grasslands of Mulgore for themselves. For the first time in millennia, the tauren had a land to call their own. For this alone they were forever indebted to their orcish allies. Upon the windswept mesa of Thunder Bluff, Cairne built a refuge for his people, where tauren of every tribe were welcome. Over time the scattered tauren tribes united under Cairne's rule. There are but a few tribes who disagree about the direction their new nation should take, but all agree that Cairne is the wisest and best suited to lead them toward the future. Helping the mighty Cairne in the duties of ruling his race are the Archdruid Hamuul Runetotem and the elder crone Magatha Grimtotem. Although the tauren have reclaimed their lands and battle alongside the Horde, not all is peaceful. The Grimtotem tribe tries to this day to usurp the rule of Cairne, plotting to overthrow his leadership. At the same time, the Emerald Dream, realm of the Green Dragonflight, is tainted with a strange evil. Malfurion Stormrage is trapped inside, and the green dragons act strangely, attacking all who pass near. Both elven and tauren druids are researching these events, as the Emerald Dream, home of Ysera the Dreamer, the Green Aspect, must be kept safe. Tauren Mythology and Society The earliest history of the tauren is recorded in a series of myths. These chronicle the period of time from the creation of the world to the appearance of the centaur, speaking of the creation of the tauren by the Earthmother, their study of druidism under Cenarius, and the coming of the centaur. Though the noble tauren are peaceful in nature, the rites of the Great Hunt are venerated as the heart of their spiritual culture. Every tauren, warrior or otherwise, seeks identity as both a hunter and as a child of the Earthmother. Tauren, young or otherwise, seek to prove their bravery by setting themselves against the creatures of the wild. Despite killing the animals, the tauren are taught never to waste anything given to them by nature and to give back what they can. They learn the fine balance that exists in nature and that if they honor the Earthmother, she will bless them in return. Despite their enormous size and brute strength, the remarkably peaceful tauren cultivate a quiet, tribal society. However, when roused by conflict, tauren are implacable enemies who will use every ounce of their strength to smash their enemies under hoof. They are noble and proud and have never, despite significant adversity in the past, succumbed to their enemies. Like the orcs, the tauren now struggle to retain their sense of tradition and noble identity. Tauren Tribes tauren Chieftain|right * Bloodhoof – The Bloodhoof tribe of Cairne Bloodhoof is the leading tauren tribe within the Horde. * Dawnstrider – The Dawnstrider tribe are experienced enchanters and skilled shaman. * Grimtotem – The Grimtotem tribe does not wish to join the Horde for reasons unknown. It is rumored that they have shady contacts with either the Scourge or the Forsaken. * Mistrunner – The Mistrunners tribe is dedicated to the druidic path and seeks to heal the earth and ease the suffering of the Earthmother. * Ragetotem – The Ragetotem tribe is home to some of the fiercest warriors and finest smiths among the tauren. * Runetotem – The Runetotem tribe has only recently rediscovered the ways of the druid. * Skychaser – The Skychaser tribe are the spiritual leaders of the tauren shamans. * Stonehoof – The Stonehoof tribe has it's people in all corners of tauren society. * Thunderhorn – The Thunderhorn tribe is home to some of the greatest hunters among the tauren. * Wildmane – The Wildmane tribe has largely joined the Runetotem tribe in seeking the ways of the druid. Other tauren tribes include the Clawhoof, Cloudmane, Darkmane, Eagletalon, Longstride, Oatwind, Raincaller, Rivermane, Shadowhoof, Stormsinger, Stormstout, Strongbash, Swiftwind, Whitecloud, Wildrunner, Winterhoof, and Younghoof tribe. Playable Race Starting Attributes Racial Traits Reasons for Racial Abilities Before the arrival of the Horde on Kalimdor, the tauren were a nomadic people and thus, always on the move from one place to another, hunting their ancient totemic animal: the Kodo. Progressing through the wild in the tracks of these mighty beasts gave the tauren natural Endurance, as well as a Natural Resistance to the various hardships of the wild in shape of poison, disease or weather, which they were forced to endure during these hunts. Being great huntsmen and natural wanderers with a certain natural affinity, the tauren developed a deep knowledge of the botanical life of Azeroth, using it in various shamanistic rituals, as well as for medical treatment. Because of this the tauren are natural Herbalists. Hunting the Kodo and wandering the wilds has not been easy for the tauren, and facing the dangers of the wild, not to mention the taurens ancient enemy, the centaur, drove the taurens to develop a mighty combat technique, the War Stomp, using their sheer power of size and strength to overwhelm their opponents by driving their robust hooves into the ground, shaking the earthly foundation of their adversaries. In the RPG books, this is described as the stomp scaring the spirits of the earth that make the ground shake as they seek to flee. thumb|A female tauren healer. Classes Tauren characters may play as a Druid, Hunter, Shaman or Warrior. They are the only Horde race that can play as a Druid and, together with the Draenei of the Alliance, they are the only race that cannot have characters of the Rogue class. Trivia *The tauren's name and appearance are based upon the Minotaur of Greek mythology. The Minotaur was a creature that was part man and part bull. 'Tauros' is ancient Greek for 'bull'. (See the article about myth references for more information. ) * The tauren culture is based on a conglomeration of Native American tribes from the Southwest, Northwest, and Great Plains regions of the United States and Canada. * Unlike in the MMORPG, tauren characters in the RPG may play as a rogue. * The word 'tauren' is an anagram of 'nature'. * In Beta, the Tauren did not have the Kodo as a mount, but in stead had a racial skill of planeswalking to move fast over distances. External links * Lore of the Origin of the tauren, Cenarius and Elune at www.blizzplanet.com. Category:Lore Category:Creatures Category:Humanoids Category:Races Category:Horde races Category:Tauren